The Declaration of Independence spoke to all people. It was revolutionary thinking, in the way it said that all men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government.This idea really appealed to American citizens, who had so often before felt the pressure of a government they had no power to fight against. For this reason, the colonists decided to break away from Britain. For this reason, colonists waged war against them and won. The Declaration of Independence represented everything they desired. Yet the reality is that the Declaration wasn’t fair to everyone.
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At the time the Constitution was written, women and slaves were considered possessions, not people in their own right. Historically, unlike white males, women were the possession of their husbands. Women generally were not permitted to vote or hold property in their own names. Their existence was widely considered less valuable than a man's. Slaves had even less rights than women - they were considered animals, purely made to work for whites. In the southern states, the economy solely depended upon slave work. It was illegal to teach a slave to read or write, and the only reason slaves counted as even a percentage of a person is because the states needed to increase the count of their populations for voting. So, naturally, when the Declaration of Independence was written, these two groups were under the impression that this was their chance to gain equal rights. After all, it talked about equality, right? Several women and wrote to the authors of the document in hopes that they would include them in
At the time the Constitution was written, women and slaves were considered possessions, not people in their own right. Historically, unlike white males, women were the possession of their husbands. Women generally were not permitted to vote or hold property in their own names. Their existence was widely considered less valuable than a man's. Slaves had even less rights than women - they were considered animals, purely made to work for whites. In the southern states, the economy solely depended upon slave work. It was illegal to teach a slave to read or write, and the only reason slaves counted as even a percentage of a person is because the states needed to increase the count of their populations for voting. So, naturally, when the Declaration of Independence was written, these two groups were under the impression that this was their chance to gain equal rights. After all, it talked about equality, right? Several women and wrote to the authors of the document in hopes that they would include them in